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honored more widely for his humanitarian work around the globe after his presidency than for his White House tenure during a tumultuous time, has died. He was 100. "Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia," the Carter Center confirmed on Sunday. In November 2023, the Nobel Peace Prize-winner's wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, in the modest house they built together in 1961, when he had taken over his father's peanut warehouse business and was only beginning to consider a political career. In February 2023, he had announced he was ending medical intervention and Jason Carter had at the time of the announcement and said "They are at peace and – as always – their home is full of love," he posted on Twitter. At peace, perhaps, but still political: The former president vowed he for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. After serving a single term in the White House, Jimmy Carter became one of the most durable figures in modern American politics. Evicted from the White House at age 56, he would hold the status of former president longer than anyone in U.S. history, and in 2019 he surpassed George H. W. Bush as the nation's Carter remained remarkably active in charitable causes through a series of health challenges during his final years, including a in 2015. He was admitted to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta in November 2019 for a procedure to , a consequence of bleeding that followed a series of falls. A few months earlier, in May, he had undergone surgery after breaking his hip. In the White House from 1977 to 1981, Carter negotiated the landmark between Israel and Egypt, transferred the Panama Canal to Panamanian ownership, dramatically expanded public lands in Alaska and established formal diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. But the 39th president governed at a time of and gasoline shortages, and his failure to secure the release of Americans held hostage by Iran helped cost him the second term he sought. “He’s never going to be ranked as a great president; he’s middling as a president,” said historian Douglas Brinkley, author of a 1998 book on Carter, "The Unfinished Presidency." “But as an American figure, he’s a giant.” After losing his reelection bid to Ronald Reagan, and until well into his 90s, Carter continued working as an observer of elections in developing countries, building houses through the nonprofit and at the tiny Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, his hometown. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, 22 years after he left the White House. "I can't deny that I was a better ex-president than I was a president," he said with a wry laugh at a breakfast with reporters in Washington in 2005. "My former boss was humiliated when he lost in 1980; he felt he let himself and the American people down," David Rubenstein, a young White House staffer for Carter who became founder of the Carlyle Group and a billionaire philanthropist, told USA TODAY in an interview in 2019. "For a long time, he was basically the symbol of a weak president and a terrible person. And today, 40-some years later, he's seen as a very incredible person who has had many good things he did, though he didn't get reelected," Rubenstein said. James Earl Carter Jr. was born on Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains to Earl Carter, a peanut warehouser who had served in the Georgia Legislature, and “Miss Lillian” Carter, a registered nurse and formidable figure who joined the Peace Corps when she was in her 60s. He grew up on a peanut farm in Plains, then graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. In the years after World War II, he served in the Navy's submarine service in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. After doing graduate work in nuclear physics, he became a pioneer in the introduction of nuclear power in submarines. When his father died in 1953, Carter resigned his naval commission and took over operation of the family peanut farms with After a rough early patch, the business flourished, and Carter became increasingly active in community affairs and politics. During two terms in the Georgia state Senate, he gained a reputation as an independent voice who attacked wasteful government practices and helped repeal laws designed to discourage Black Americans from voting. But in 1966, he lost a race for governor to segregationist Lester Maddox in an election that analysts said reflected a Southern backlash against national civil rights legislation enacted in 1964 and 1965. In a second bid for governor in 1970, Carter minimized his appearances before Black audiences and won endorsements from some segregationists. After he was elected, though, Carter declared that the era of segregation in Georgia was over, and he was hailed as a symbol of a new, more inclusive South. Still, he was an unlikely presidential contender. When he launched his bid for the 1976 Democratic nomination, the former one-term governor was so obscure outside the Peach State that “Jimmy who?” became a campaign trope. He perfected the meticulous cultivation of voters in Iowa, and his unexpected victory in the opening presidential caucuses there provided a launching pad that long-shot contenders tried to emulate for decades. The boosted Carter's prospects. In the aftermath of President Richard Nixon’s decision to resign in 1974 rather than be impeached, Carter pitched himself to voters as an outsider who would reject Washington’s unsavory ways. “I’ll never lie to you,” he told them. In 1976, he narrowly defeated President Gerald Ford, whose campaign was damaged by verbal missteps and by controversy over his decision to pardon Nixon. Four years later, Carter would be ousted himself. He faced a damaging challenge for the Democratic nomination from the left by Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy and then a landslide defeat in the general election from the right by Reagan. The former California governor tapped into discontent with Carter’s leadership. “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Reagan asked voters in the iconic closing of their only campaign debate. Carter’s defenders argue that he was a better president than generally recognized. "I think that he is the most underappreciated modern president that we've had," said Stuart Eizenstat, a veteran Washington official and ambassador who was Carter’s chief domestic policy adviser in the White House. "The reason for that is the lingering memories of his presidency are negative ones – gasoline lines, high interest rates and inflation, the Iran hostage crisis, the Desert One failed rescue effort – and those totally obscure a really remarkable set of accomplishments both at home and abroad, which in many ways didn't materialize until after he left office." Eizenstat, author of "President Carter: The White House Years," published in 2018, said Carter's policies and appointments laid the groundwork for a stronger economy, energy independence, environmental protection, business innovation in transportation and more. On foreign policy, Carter painstakingly negotiated the 1978 Camp David Accords, a historic agreement between Israel's Menachem Begin and Egypt's Anwar Sadat that led to a formal peace treaty between the two countries the next year. But he stumbled when he came to the politics of the job. Despite having the advantage of a solidly Democratic Congress, many of his legislative proposals, including a consumer protection bill, stalled. The no-backroom-deals approach that helped him win the White House contributed to his difficulties in actually governing once he got there. He was mocked for charging members of Congress for their breakfast when invited to meet with him at the White House and for eliminating alcohol from most evening events. He was seen by some, then and later, as prickly and sanctimonious. Meanwhile, unemployment rose, interest rates for home mortgages climbed into double digits and Americans found themselves waiting in lines to buy gas in an oil crisis created by OPEC, the powerful international energy cartel. In a speech to the nation in July 1979, Carter described a “crisis of confidence" among the American people. Although he never said the word, it became short-handed as his “malaise” speech. "He lacked the political and managerial skills needed to make best use of the office he held," said Robert McClure, a political scientist at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Most damaging of all was the Iranian hostage crisis. Carter had agreed to allow Iran's deposed shah, a former U.S. ally who was living in exile, to receive cancer treatment in the United States. In protest, Iranian Islamist radicals overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans captive. The confrontation, which began on Nov. 4, 1979, would end only as Reagan was being inaugurated 444 days later. Carter chose diplomacy and economic sanctions over military action. He halted oil imports from Iran and froze Iranian assets in the U.S. He severed diplomatic relations with Iran and imposed a full economic embargo on the country. Finally, he approved a top-secret military mission to free the hostages, but it ended in catastrophe. Three helicopters developed engine trouble in a remote staging area in the Iranian desert, forcing the mission to be aborted. Eight U.S. troops were killed when a helicopter and a plane collided while forces were being withdrawn. It all added to the impression that Carter was out of his depth. "The hostage crisis left a bitter taste in voters' mouths, which Carter was never able to overcome," said Stephen Hess, a Brookings Institution scholar who worked on Carter's transition team when he was president-elect. On the day of Reagan's inauguration, Jan. 20, 1981, Iran agreed to accept $8 billion in frozen assets and a promise by the U.S. to lift trade sanctions in exchange for the release of the hostages. Minutes after Carter's successor took the oath of office, the hostages were freed. Carter left the White House, but he didn’t retire. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter established the Carter Center in Atlanta, their home base for decades as they worked on global health and democracy. He helped negotiate an end to the long civil war in Nicaragua between the Contra rebels and the Sandinistas. He met with North Korean leaders to try to end its nuclear weapons program. He mediated conflicts in Ethiopia, Liberia, Haiti, Bosnia, Sudan, Uganda and Venezuela. He led dozens of delegations of international observers to various countries to help assure elections were free and fair. For decades, the Carter Center also led an international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease, a devastating tropical ailment that in 1986 afflicted an estimated 3.5 million people in Africa and Asia. In 2020, it was on the verge of eradication; just 27 cases were reported in six African countries. For a week each year, the Carters volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, a charitable group that renovates and builds homes for poor people around the world. He also wrote more than 30 books – controversial ones on the Palestinian territories and the Middle East and less controversial ones on Christmas memories and fly-fishing. He published a collection of his poems and a collection of his paintings. Again and again, he returned to writing about the lessons and demands of his Christian faith. Carter, who attended Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017, at times criticized the 45th president. In June 2019, at a Carter Center conference in suburban Virginia, he questioned the legitimacy of Trump's election, citing allegations of Russian interference that were later called into question. Trump responded at a news conference by calling Carter a "nice man, terrible president." But there were also times when Carter reached out to Trump. On the 40th anniversary of the normalization of U.S.-China relations, in 2019, he sent Trump a letter offering advice on managing that relationship. Carter said the phone conversation that followed was the first time the two men had spoken. In 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that supporters thought he had deserved years earlier, when it had been presented to Begin and Sadat. The Nobel committee honored Carter "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights and to promote economic and social development." "The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices," Carter said in accepting the prestigious award. "God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make these changes – and we must." When he left the White House, Carter moved back home to Plains. Unlike most other modern presidents, he didn't choose to make money by delivering high-priced speeches or serving on corporate boards. But he did regularly speak to hundreds of visitors who would gather for his Sunday school class at Maranatha Baptist Church. In November 2019, he told those gathered that he didn't fear death. "It's incompatible for any Christian not to believe in life after death," Carter, then 95, told them, although he acknowledged he had wrestled with doubts throughout his life. In his prayers, he said, "I didn't ask God to let me live, but I just asked God to give me a proper attitude toward death. And I found that I was absolutely and completely at ease with death." In July 2021, he and his wife hosted a attended by about 300 friends, family members and fellow pols, among them Bill and Hillary Clinton. Carter, his fragility apparent, made a point of greeting the guests at each table for what many of them assumed would be the last time they saw him. "He was not a self-promoter in the White House or afterwards, and I think that hurt, because it leaves all the sour tastes from the failures and didn't allow the positives to shine through," Eizenstat said. When Eizenstat visited Carter in Plains in 2018, Carter told his former aide he was comfortable with letting history judge. As he approached his 90th birthday, Carter mused about his legacy in an interview with USA TODAY. "One is peace," he said. "I kept peace when I was president and I try to promote peace between other people and us, and between countries that were potentially at war, between Israel and Egypt for instance. And human rights. ... I think human rights and peace are the two things I'd like to be remembered for – as well as being a good grandfather." C
FINAP Founder and CEO Dr. Kutila Pinto recently participated at the 40th ASOCIO Summit in Tokyo. At the summit, FINAP was awarded the prestigious ‘Outstanding Tech Organisation’ title—a recognition that marks the company’s transformation from a promising Sri Lankan start-up to a rising global leader in financial technology. In this interview Dr. Pinto shared insights about FINAP’s remarkable journey, the values driving the organisation, and its vision for the future. Below is an in-depth discussion on how FINAP is redefining financial technology and empowering communities both locally and internationally. A: This recognition is a monumental milestone for FINAP. It reflects the hard work of our team, the relevance of our solutions, and our commitment to empowering communities through innovative financial technology. Being acknowledged on such a global platform reaffirms that our mission and values resonate beyond Sri Lanka and inspire us to push further boundaries. A: FINAP’s early days were challenging but deeply formative. In Sri Lanka, the lack of innovation capital and limited fluidity in capital markets made securing funding particularly difficult. Despite external capital availability, I chose to inject my own capital and bootstrap the company to ensure its early survival. These constraints pushed us to innovate and operate efficiently. By refining our ideas and focusing on solving practical financial challenges for underserved communities, we built a resilient and adaptable foundation. Those early lessons continue to guide FINAP’s growth today. A: My career in banking and finance spans over two decades. I started as a banking assistant at Seylan Bank. I have worked in many markets; Asia, Middle East, Australasia and the Pacific. Towards the end of my career at banking, I served as general manager for Westpac Bank in the Solomon Islands and later as Director of Retail for Westpac Pacific, overseeing operations across the region. These roles gave me hands-on experience in understanding how financial systems work in diverse and often underserved markets. They highlighted the importance of tailoring solutions to meet local needs, which became a guiding principle for FINAP. A: Indeed, I was 36 years old when I established a fully-fledged commercial bank in the Solomon Islands. It was one of the most fulfilling achievements of my career. It was a challenging endeavour, involving regulatory complexities and building trust within the community. The experience taught me the importance of balancing innovation with responsibility and the power of financial systems to uplift communities. The political and the regulatory leadership of the country were very appreciative of my achievement. I am proud of my achievements and to do so as a Sri Lankan. It’s a mindset I carried forward into FINAP’s mission. A: Our journey involved constant adaptation and a relentless focus on innovation. One key breakthrough was the development of the Connected-Software-Solution-Application-Concept (CSSAC), a framework that underpins our flagship products like CIXOR, FirstMicro, ECORU, and MULA. By staying attuned to market feedback, we created solutions that are scalable and adaptable, meeting the needs of financial institutions and the communities they serve. A: CSSAC is a concept I developed during my DBA studies at UCAM, Spain. It stems from my thesis, “A Study of Infusion of Technology to Microfinance Operators to Achieve Sustainability and Technology-driven Value Chain Architecture for Efficiency and Outreach: The Case of Sri Lanka. “CSSAC provides a simplified yet powerful interface that connects borrowers and lenders, improving accessibility and efficiency. This framework forms the backbone of FINAP’s platforms, ensuring they remain intuitive, scalable, and impactful. A: Our platforms are designed to make financial services accessible to micro-entrepreneurs and small-scale producers, offering them tools to grow their businesses and improve their livelihoods. We work closely with microfinance institutions and nano-lenders to ensure they can provide credit and other financial services in a sustainable, user-friendly way. This approach empowers individuals while driving economic growth from the ground up. A: Solutions like FirstMicro and CIXOR enhance the operational capabilities of microfinance providers by offering real-time data access, mobile-first transaction systems, and scalability. These tools allow institutions to serve more clients efficiently while improving the borrower experience. Using FINAP’s solutions, micro and small borrowers gain access to lending opportunities that leverage their business cash flow as a foundation for creditworthiness. This empowers them to borrow with confidence and reinvest in their businesses, creating opportunities for growth and sustainability. Ultimately, our platforms help build a robust microfinance ecosystem models where small financial operators and borrowers can thrive, driving economic inclusion and community empowerment. A: The future of FINAP lies in deepening our dual focus on financial technology and software services, driving innovation and impact across both domains. On the financial technology front, we are laser-focused on scaling our flagship products, FirstMicro and CIXOR, to new markets. These platforms have already proven to be transformative in fostering financial inclusion and efficiency for microfinance institutions and nano-lenders. By expanding their reach, we aim to position FINAP as a global leader in fintech, empowering underserved communities worldwide. Importantly, we remain committed to championing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty, by enabling grassroots entrepreneurs and micro-producers to access fair and sustainable financial solutions. At the same time, we’re scaling up our software services operations. This channel enables FINAP to deliver custom software solutions across industries, enhancing efficiency and innovation for businesses globally. As part of our growth strategy, we’re planning a targeted expansion into selected European markets, including the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. These countries represent dynamic opportunities for us to showcase Sri Lankan expertise on a global stage while delivering value to international clients. Through these two operational channels, we aim to continue excelling as a Sri Lankan success story, a company that not only uplifts local and regional communities but also contributes to the prosperity of neighbouring countries in South Asia and beyond. Our mission is to ensure that FINAP’s technology solutions not only address immediate challenges but also lay the foundation for long-term economic empowerment and innovation. Looking ahead, we envision FINAP as a global brand synonymous with technology-driven empowerment and resilience, leading with purpose and delivering solutions that truly make a difference. This vision is rooted in our belief that technology can be a force for good, and with it, we can create a more inclusive and equitable future. A: I’m driven by the belief that technology has the power to transform lives. Seeing how our solutions help individuals and businesses overcome financial barriers inspires me daily. At FINAP, our goal is to make financial systems work for everyone, especially those at the grassroots level. This mission fuels my passion and guides our journey forward. FINAP’s story is one of resilience, innovation, and purpose. From its humble beginnings to earning global recognition, it stands as a testament to how technology and vision can create meaningful impact. A: Entrepreneurship is a journey that requires resilience, adaptability, and a strong sense of purpose. My first piece of advice is to focus on solving real-world problems. If your solution creates genuine value, it will naturally attract customers and support. Be prepared for challenges—financial, operational, and even personal. Build a network of mentors and peers who can provide guidance and perspective. In the tech space, staying agile is crucial; listen to market feedback and be willing to pivot when necessary. I would also emphasise the importance of financial discipline. Many startups falter because they lack a clear understanding of how to manage resources effectively. Whether you’re bootstrapping or raising external capital, every dollar should work towards achieving your vision. Finally, embrace the long-term mindset. Success in entrepreneurship rarely happens overnight. Stay committed to your goals, and remember that the lessons learned from failures are often the foundation of future success. As Richard Branson once said, “Business opportunities are like buses; there’s always another one coming.” Keep moving forward, and don’t let setbacks define your journey.Vikings withstand Bears' furious rally, win on field goal in OT
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Happy Valley actor James Norton announced the winner in a ceremony held at Tate Britain on Tuesday evening. The five jury members chose Kaur for “her ability to gather different voices through unexpected and playful combinations of material, from Irn-Bru to family photographs and a vintage Ford Escort, locating moments of resilience and possibility”. Kaur, who was born in Glasgow but lives and works in London, used her speech to advocate for the people in Palestine. The 38-year-old said she wanted to “echo the calls of the protesters outside” who had gathered after an open letter urged the Tate to cut ties with “organisations complicit in what the UN and ICJ are finally getting closer to saying is a genocide of the Palestinian people”. “This is not a radical demand,” Kaur said on stage. “This should not risk an artist’s career or safety. We’re trying to build consensus that the ties to these organisations are unethical, just as artists did with Sackler,” she said, referencing the family linked to the opioid epidemic. “I’ve been wondering why artists are required to dream up liberation in the gallery but when that dream meets life we are shut down. “I want the separation between the expression of politics in the gallery and the practice of politics in life to disappear. “I want the institution to understand that if you want us inside, you need to listen to us outside.” Kaur concluded her speech by calling for a ceasefire, adding: “Free Palestine.” BBC reporter Katie Razzall had to apologise to viewers after Kaur used a swear word in her speech. The artist was nominated for an exhibition that was held at the Tramway in her home city last year. The display, a series of installations exploring religious identities, politics and history, makes heavy use of different sounds, embedded into the exhibition by way of worship bells, Sufi Islamic devotional music, Indian harmonium, and pop tracks. This year the arts prize, named after British painter JMW Turner, which awards £25,000 to its winner, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Established in 1984, the prize is awarded each year to a British artist for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work. Previous recipients include sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor (1991), artist Damien Hirst (1995), and filmmaker Sir Steve McQueen (1999). In 2025, the prize will be presented in Bradford at Cartwright Hall art gallery, marking the 250th anniversary of Turner’s birth. The exhibition of the four shortlisted artists – Pio Abad, Claudette Johnson, Delaine Le Bas, and Kaur – is at Tate Britain until February 16 2025.Arkansas Game & Fish 2025 license plate introduced
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